1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the financial service and banking product industries, and, more particularly, to systems, computer program products, and associated methods of providing an automatic credit line draw in preselected increments for a checking account, including a checking account accessed through a debit card.
2. Background
It is known that tens of millions of consumers in the US have either limited or no access to traditional credit, either as a result of poor or limited credit history. It is also recognized that non-traditional short-term lending, including, e.g., payday loans, payday advances, and other short-term cash advances, is a $20 billion plus per year industry. Non-traditional loans, however, involve the hassles of applying for and obtaining the loan prior to the consumer having access to the funds. In addition, inherent in requesting a loan is determining an amount of the loan. If the loan amount is too small, the consumer may need to obtain an additional loan, with additional fees; if the loan amount is too large, the consumer will needlessly pay extra interest.
It is further recognized that financial institutions earn an estimated $17 billion annually by charging overdraft fees to their checking account customers. These fees are sometimes charged in ways that raise concerns among certain consumer protection groups. For example, a $1 overdraft can generate a $35 fee, and a consumer may not realize an overdraft has taken place and would have preferred to not be charged a fee rather than complete the transaction.
It is also known to use a debit card as payment for a proposed purchase at a merchant. The consumer proposes a purchase and submits the debit card to the merchant so that the merchant can request authorization from a bank associated with the debit card. That is, the merchant checks that funds are available in the checking account associated with the debit card to cover the amount of the proposed purchase. This authorization process also provides an opportunity for security services, such as, for example, verifying of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and determining if the card has been reported as stolen. If there are insufficient funds available in the checking account associated with the debit card to cover the amount of the proposed purchase, the authorization request is denied by the bank, and the proposed purchase is rejected by the merchant. Embarrassed and disappointed, many rejected consumers quickly give up and leave the merchant's premises so that even if a loan or credit were readily available with minimal effort, such as, for example, by placing a short phone call to the bank or another lending institution, the proposed purchase is abandoned.
It is further known that there are additional ways for consumers to access the funds in checking accounts in addition to debit cards, including, for example, checks, bill payment services, wire transfers, and other withdrawals. Because consumers can use one or all of these tools to make payments from a checking account, each of these ways to access funds can trigger an overdraft.